Spice and Wolf: Redux
by Davis-Reiter
Summary: Apples are a curse. No?


The morning sun came up slowly as I rode on the dirt road that led away from town. Behind me was the little village of Faustito, the occupants of the small wheat village still asleep in their cozy beds. The fresh smell of country air filled my nostrils as I held the reigns of Reginald's; my brown stallion's, cart-brace.

As I sat back on my wooden bench seat, I wondered if anyone would miss me back there. Surely, the place would be in a uproar. A missing villager, whisked away in the dead of night. The orphanage in a haze. I chuckled to myself. Being seventeen and very restless, I feel that I needed to leave. See the world. The Caretaker at the Orphanage always told me that I was a restless kid.

So off I left on this day. Dressed in a brown vest with a cotton white dress shirt, brown slacks with big buckles all around them and brown traveler's boots. My spiky, black hair wavering in the morning breeze. I left with everything I owned, including a expensive set of trade clothing to sell and other valuables, along with dried beef, buns, churned butter and glasses full of spring water. Enough food to last a month.

As we got farther away from the village, the more excited I got. I was finally going to see the world and experience every exciting thing it had to offer. Reginald neighed and I chuckled, watching the sun rise into the pure blue sky. My name is Luck Vega and today; I'm officially a traveler.

**Spice and Wolf Redux**

**Chapter One: Wolf and Traveler**

In mid-afternoon, I could hear the blue jay's sing their song of freedom and Reginald pulled the cart down the road. The grass fields around us were damp still with the rain of last night. I yawned and looked into the sky above. Clouds formed with each other to make a painting high above the ground, only to shift away from each other for the breeze carried them away like broken hearted lovers.

I rubbed the stubble on my chin and squinted my brown eyes to squeeze the sun from my eyes. The breeze sent a chill up my spine, giving me a satisfying tingle all over. With a stretch, I pulled on Reginald's reigns, coming to halt in front of a large apple tree on the side of the road. I hopped off the cart, my boots clattered with the gravel. I folded the cloth that covered the back of the cart where I kept my personal things and grabbed a pail of oats and dried cranberries, fastening the pail on a pouch over Reginald's mouth. The horse neighed in enjoyment as he ate his lunch.

I walked over to the field with the apple tree and welcomed it's shade as I jumped up and plucked a ripe apple easily thanks to my height of six foot two. Sitting down cross-legged, I wiped the apple on my shirt cuff and bit into it's sweet but tangy juiciness. The July wind began to slow and after finishing my apple, I beckoned and tied down Reginald to the tree, securing the cart with him.

Laying down in the crisp grass with my arms folded behind my head, I closed my eyes with a faint smile on my young face. It was soon that I fell asleep and awoke with the sun departing behind the hills away from here. I sighed in annoyance, I was having such a good dream.

I plucked a basket full of apples and shoved them in the back of the cart without looking and folded the cloth back over to protect my things. Hopping up onto the bench, I grabbed Reginald's reigns and off we went. As we entered a small forest, I thought of how things will turn out for me. I mean, I did leave my home at the orphanage and am now traveling round the world. It's a scary thing to think of, but also very adventurous at the same time though.

I grimaced when I remembered that I forgot to quit working in the cornfields before I left. The farmer probably had a fit from Hell almighty when he noticed that I didn't show up today. I wondered if people would come looking for me. Of course I did take the back roads instead of the main one that led into the religious city of Burl. These back roads will inevitably take me to that city, but it will be longer and no one like incontinence so they won't come looking this way.

The blue moon was shining by the time we traversed out of the forest. Ahead of us were hills of blue and beyond that; Burl. I took the map out of my pocket and spread it wide, looking over the continent. If we stopped to eat and rest for a bit, we would make Burl in mid morning tomorrow. Going another five miles, we finally stopped in a pit clearing. Parking Reginald, I walked off to grab some fallen tree limbs to make a small campfire.

I came back and started a heat source, feeling the pleasant warmth of it. My stomach growled in tiny hunger, so I decided that some dried meat and water would be a nice dinner. I walked over to the cart to get the supplies, but I was caught off guard when I heard a light snore come from under the cloth seal. I was confused and also a little frightened. Instinctively, I put my had to my side where I had a hunter's knife strapped in it sheath on my belt loop.

I gulped, my other hand shaking as it grabbed the edge of the cloth and slowly yanked it off. To my surprise, there was someone sleeping in there, wrapped up in the sheets I had taken from the Orphanage to keep warm on cold nights. I didn't know what to do exactly. Reginald looked behind and neighed, looking to the front again. It was a man, who looked around the age of twenty. The man had brown hair that covered his forehead. He had a line of brown stubble on his chiseled jaw and was the source of the snoring.

"Why is there a man sleeping in here?" I muttered.

I grabbed his sheet covered shoulder and shook him lightly. "Hey. What are you doing in my cart?"

The man shifted his head and to my surprise there was something there that wouldn't normally be on a human's head. Was this person possessed by the devil? Instead of normal ears, there was a set of light brown wolf ears. I was in shock. "Wha-what the hell?"

The man opened his eyes; a blazing hazel and I fell backward on my bottom. I watched as he stood up in the cart, the sheet slipping off him and revealing that the man was stark naked and had a tail of that of a wolf's. It was brow with a tips. I was so confused at that moment. The man of a bigger build and broad shoulders looked up at the sky, his hair wavering in the moonlight breeze and he opened his mouth.

I did not expect him to howl.

It pierced my ears and I shut my eyes. The howling stopped and when I opened my eyes, Reginald was neighing angrily and the man was stretching his muscled arms into the air and yawning. I quickly got up and pointed my knife towards him. "Who are you and what are you doing in my cart?" I snapped.

The wolf-man looked at me confused and shrugged. "I was taking a nap." He said in a deep and slow voice. He looked at me, then the knife. He smirked "You going to stab me? That would not be cool."

"I don't think it's cool to have stowed away in my cart." I countered.

"Point taken."

He jumped down onto the grass and smiled. "The name's Alex."

"Luck. What are you?"

"What do you mean?" He said, itching his ear.

"Your no human, that's for sure."

Alex folded his arms. "Yeah duh. I'm a wolf."

"Wolves do not take the features of a human being!" I exclaimed.

"Normally they don't. "He said. "Are you a traveler?"

"Yes, but what does that matter?"

Alex snickered and jumped back into the cart, laying down and covering himself within the sheets. "Well, I'll be by your side for now. This place is boring and I'm tired of traveling alone. If your headed north, I will be accompanying you then. That is where I need to be."

I was at loss for words. What was he thinking. What was I thinking? I walked over top the cart and grabbed a pouch of dry meat and a bottle of water. He looked at me and I frowned. "I don't know what you are, but your lucky I'm nice."

I walked away and sat at the fire, guzzling down the water and looking over to the cart. I didn't know what to do, but as I was taught at a young age by the Caretaker at the orphanage; the world is a marvelous and strange place at times. It's what you do when dealt with a situation that defines your place in this world.

The next morning, I steered Reginald on the trail. As we rode, I didn't acknowledge Alex, who lay in the back of the cart, covered by the cloth. Actually, I didn't know if he was even back there. I didn't want to check and I don't know why. Maybe I was hoping it was all a dream.

Yet not even twenty minutes later, as we neared Burl, Alex popped his head from out the cloth and made his way to sit at the bench with me. I looked at him, and to my annoyance and anger; he was wearing the clothes I was going to sell. "Hey! Those are very expensive!" I snapped. Alex looked at me and shrugged.

"Yes, and very comfortable too. Black is my favorite color, next to green." He said, flaying his arms out to show off. He wore a white cotton undershirt. A black traveler's vest with a long black coat that had a white fur trim around the hood. Tight fitting black slacks that had bronze and silver chains on the loops with black heeled boots and studded bracelets on his wrists. That outfit was going to fetch me some good money that would last more then six months. Alex ears perked up and smiled, showing his sharp fangs he had at the ends of his teeth.

This was going to be one long journey.

**Spice and Wolf Redux**

**Chapter One: Wolf and Traveler - End**

**A/N: Spice and wolf Redux. Characters are copyrighted by DR Corp. I own only which is mine. Everything else belongs to the world. Next chapter up soon. Leave a comment or like in the section below.**


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